Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, former President Donald Trump mend fences

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - On the final night of the Democratic National Convention, one of the bitterest recent feuds in the Republican Party was put aside.

At least, for the moment.

As Vice President Kamala Harris was preparing to accept her party’s nomination as the first woman of color to head a major political party’s White House ticket, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp appeared on national TV and urged voters to support her opponent, former President Donald Trump.

“We need to send Donald Trump back to the White House,” Kemp told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

Later in the evening, Trump posted this message on social media:

Trump has blasted Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for years ever since Joe Biden defeated Trump in Georgia in the 2020 election. Biden became the first Democrat since Bill Clinton in 1992 to win Georgia - or any other deep Southern state - in a presidential general election.

Trump has continued to make repeated claims of voter fraud in that election, while Raffensperger has insisted the election was fair, certified and sound.

Kemp, for his part, continues to urge Republicans to put the 2020 election behind the party and move forward with firm policy agendas rather than Trump’s past grievances.

Trump’s feud with Kemp was reignited a few weeks ago, when the 45th president and his running mate, Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance, held a rally in Atlanta only days after Harris held a campaign event of her own in the same venue.

Before taking the stage at the Georgia State University convocation center, Trump attacked Kemp and Raffensberger on his Truth Social platform.

In the post, Trump said the “crime rate in Georgia is terrible and his crime rate in Atlanta is the worst and his economy is terrible. Your governor ought to get off his ass and do something about it,” he said.

Trump referred to the ongoing Georgia election case as a “travesty” and said Kemp could have ended the investigation “but he doesn’t want to end it because he’s a bad guy.”

He went on to attack Kemp’s wife Marty, saying “I don’t want her endorsement, and I don’t want his.”

Kemp fired back on X, saying “My focus is on winning this November and saving our country from Kamala Harris and the Democrats — not engaging in petty personal insults, attacking fellow Republicans, or dwelling on the past. You should do the same, Mr. President, and leave my family out of it.”

Days later, Trump said he hopes his fractured relationship with Kemp can be repaired, “but the people are still the people and the people are going to vote.”

“I got (Kemp) elected,” Trump said. “He was doing terrible. When you get someone elected, they’re supposed to like you. I have great relationships in Georgia. I’d love to see (my relationship with Kemp) be repaired,” Trump said.

Trump continued his allegations of Georgia election fraud in 2020.

“Georgia is a big win,” Trump said. “You don’t win South Carolina and Alabama by big margins and not win Georgia. All we want is fair elections.”

Both Trump and Harris have made Georgia a priority in recent weeks. Harris has appeared six times in the Peach State this year, and her last stop was during a July 29, 2024, rally at in Atlanta. That stop was just before she clinched the Democrat nomination for president, which came in the wake of President Joe Biden’s stunning decision to end his 2024 reelection bid.

Biden’s uneven, halting performance during Atlanta’s CNN debate with Trump led to a series of cascading events that eventually ended his 2024 reelection bid and led to Harris becoming the Democrat White House nominee.

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